A Mother's Echo
by Roswalyn
Summary: A mother's love has its own echo.


**Author's Notes: Before anyone starts throwing virtual things at me for posting something on here **_**other**_** than the next chapter of "Father of Mine", I promise that the new chapter is already in the works. This particular one-shot just snuck into my head one day and refused to go away until I got it down on paper. So here it is -- I know it's a bit late for Mother's Day, but hopefully it can still be appreciated. Many thanks to Lightwarai for the inspiration for this story and its title, and for all of the support! Also thanks to msnancydrew for being an awesome beta, as always! (Author's notes continued at the end)**

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The air had a motionless, quiet quality to it that was innate to places such as this. There was a sense of peace that was undisturbed, even by the living visitors who came to pay their respects to the deceased. The brilliant sun and cloudless blue sky added to the sense of calm, countering the somber sight of the endless rows of ashen grey headstones. Nancy Drew knelt quietly at one headstone in particular and laid a bouquet of soft pink tulips on the grave. Her husband stood a few feet behind her, giving her the space that he knew she needed, but close enough that she was comforted by his presence. It had become their tradition to visit her mother's grave every Mother's Day, before travelling to spend the remainder of the day with his family. Despite the short distance between River Heights and her new home in Chicago, she rarely came to visit her mother. But this was one day of the year when she allowed herself this time, to remember and to grieve.

Nancy straightened slowly, reading the words carved into her mother's headstone, even though they had already been carved into her own memory many years before.

_Elizabeth Lily Drew_

_1955-1983_

_Beloved Wife and Mother_

_May She Rest in Peace_

Three years old. That was how old she had been when her mother had been taken away from her, leaving a gaping hole in her life that had been beyond her young mind to comprehend at the time. But as she had grown older, so too had grown the awareness that she had suffered a great loss, that she was missing an incredibly essential piece of her life. Her father and Hannah had done their best to ensure that she didn't feel the sting of that loss, and most of the time, she hadn't. But it was small moments, moments like when she saw Bess and George with their mothers, when she saw the love and affection that Frank and Joe had for Laura Hardy, that she realized what she had truly missed out on all of her life. And on a day such as this one, that sense of loss was vividly magnified.

Unconsciously, Nancy rested a light hand on the still-flat plane of her stomach. Though she knew it was too early, some part of her deep down was aware of the tiny life that stirred there, could almost sense its heartbeat, its very life. And suddenly, a fear so desperately strong gripped her, choking the very breath from her lungs. She had dangled from cliffs, been trapped in burning buildings, nearly poisoned to death, but nothing, nothing terrified her more at that moment than the sudden thought that her own child might one day be motherless, that Nancy's dangerous lifestyle would catch up with her and leave her child to suffer the same devastating loss that she had.

A strong, warm hand gripped her own, slightly loosening the chokehold that her fear had on her. She turned to look up into her husband's soft, depthless brown eyes.

"You're going to be a wonderful mother," he stated, making her realize that, as always, he had understood her thoughts as clearly as he understood his own. Frank drew her other hand gently away from her stomach and kept both of her hands loosely clasped in his. "You're going to love her with everything that you have, and you will always be there for her. You will watch her grow up, be happy, have children of her own one day. You will be there for every single special moment in her life, because nothing is going to happen to you. I promise you that, Nancy, because I won't _let_ anything happen to you."

There was such conviction in his voice that Nancy felt something inside herself settle and become calm once again. Still, she was torn between the need to protest at his chivalrous attitude and the urge to burrow into the comforting safety of his arms. In the end, she settled for drawing back slightly and making her best attempt at a light-hearted smile.

"'_HerH_Her'?"

Frank gave his wife an impish grin.

"Well, yeah. It's like Joe says: one beautiful woman in your life is great, but two beautiful women are even better."

Before Nancy could give an indignant sputter, Frank's smile softened.

"And I know that any daughter of yours can't be anything but beautiful, Nan."

Nancy felt herself melting as she grinned reluctantly. "And here I thought Joe was the charming Hardy."

Frank dropped a quick kiss on her smiling lips. The glow was back in her bright blue eyes, pushing the fears away, just as he had intended.

"Hey, don't forget that he and I share the same genes. I just prefer to charm women with my sharp intellect rather than bad one-liners."

Nancy stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. He may have thought that he was being subtle, but she knew that he had been trying to cheer her up and take her mind off of her fears. Surprisingly, it had worked. She gave his hands a quick, tight squeeze.

"Well, you certainly charmed me, Frank Hardy. Enough to get me to marry you."

His grin was self-satisfied and just a tad smug. "Good." He bumped her forehead lightly with his own. "Any regrets?" Though his tone was playful, she heard the hint of seriousness in it. She locked her eyes with his, their luminescence and her smile giving him her answer before she did. "Not a single one." Frank returned her gentle smile, knowing that he didn't need the reassurance, but it was always nice to hear anyways. His gaze became solemn, and he drew her snugly into his arms, resting his chin on the crown of her vibrant strawberry-blonde hair. "Happy Mother's Day, Nancy," he said quietly.

Her arms tightened around him in response, her throat becoming choked again, this time with tears. She knew that Frank meant what he had said, that he would do everything in his power to protect her and keep her safe. And she also knew that there were absolutely no guarantees in life, no matter how much one might wish otherwise. She was silent as he released her from his embrace, as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and began to lead her towards the gates of the cemetery. She turned around for one last, brief glance behind her, and repeated Frank's words softly.

"Happy Mother's Day, Mom."

As she walked away from her mother's grave, on the precipice of becoming a mother herself, she said a silent prayer in her heart. She prayed that she would be there to hear her own child say those words to her, year after year.

A light breeze fluttered the soft pink petals of the flowers laid on her mother's grave, and as she felt the gentle caress of the wind on her own skin, Nancy felt the ghosts of fear from her past finally ease away, and her steps were light as she walked forward towards her future, with Frank at her side.

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**Author's Notes (continued): This story is set in the universe first created with "Sleepless in Chicago". It's certainly a bit heavier fare than the other stories in this universe, but hopefully enjoyable regardless. Happy belated Mother's Day to all of the mothers out there!**

**Disclaimer: Nancy and Frank don't belong to me, but if they did, they'd live happily ever after.**


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